Blog

Ms. Mollie’s Class: Hello Fall

Posted on by Mollie Smith

Hello Fall!

This week, our classroom welcomed the cozy season of fall! The children have been observing the changing colors outside and exploring nature through all their senses — crunching leaves, smelling cinnamon, and noticing how the air feels cooler.

We also celebrated a class birthday! In true Montessori tradition, we gathered for a simple celebration. The birthday child walked around the “sun,” holding the globe to represent another trip around the sun. The children loved singing and enjoying a birthday treat.

To continue our fall theme, we baked pumpkin bread together! The children practiced practical life skills — scooping flour, stirring the batter, and carefully pouring ingredients. The classroom and school smelled amazing, and everyone was so proud to taste their work.

Fall is such a wonderful time for hands-on learning and connection. We can’t wait for more cozy, joyful moments ahead!

With Full Hearts,

Ms. Mollie and Ms. Lizette

This Week in Upper El

Posted on by Karen Sankey

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” -Jane Goodall

We had a fantastic time at The Adventure Park earlier this week! It was the perfect first field trip of the year, providing real opportunities for the children to bond, encourage, and support one another outside the classroom. While helping each other on the high ropes course, I observed the children engaging in teamwork naturally. They challenged themselves to tackle courses with intimidating elements, cheering for one another and offering encouragement during difficult moments.

Overall, field trips are incredibly beneficial for children. They allow them to practice grace and courtesy, both with each other and the people they encounter outside of Fraser Woods. These outings help develop resilience, courage, and independence, while teaching children about our interconnectedness with nature and the world around us. Additionally, field trips offer opportunities for children to apply their knowledge in real-world settings and help them cultivate responsibility, manners, and cooperation.

Student-Parent-Teacher Conferences

At the upper elementary level, students are involved in their own parent-teacher conferences. They prepare ahead of time by reflecting on the weeks leading up to the conference, identifying both their strengths and areas for improvement. At the conference, they will share their work and their reflections with you. If you have not already signed up for a conference, please use this link to select your time. If you don’t see a time that works for your family, please reach out to me directly. I am happy to set up a time that works for you. Conference sign-ups close on Friday, September 17. 

Ms. Vicki’s Weekly Update

Posted on by Vicki Downs

This week, the weather has been quite chilly in the mornings. Please remember to bring sweaters or jackets, depending on the temperature. Rain boots are always a good idea when it’s wet and muddy! We have spent plenty of time outside working on developing our gross motor skills, and we even got to play in the gym this week. For our food tasting activity, we tried tomatoes and peppers, and the children enjoyed holding the seeds and exploring the insides!

Here are a few reminders:

  • There will be no school on Monday, the 13th.
  • Please sign up for parent-teacher conferences, which are scheduled for Friday, the 24th. There will be no school that day.
  • Bring in sweatshirts and pants to keep in our extra clothes bins. We can also store jackets, so you don’t have to keep bringing them back and forth if that’s more convenient.

Enjoy all the pictures!

Ms. Handibode Exploring Our World

Posted on by Michelle Handibode

Geography and Peace

This week, we’ve been busy exploring two important aspects of our classroom community – understanding our physical world through geography and learning to resolve conflicts peacefully.

We introduced the Peace Table to help children navigate disagreements with calm and respect. Being able to calmly resolve disagreements is an important life skill, and the Peace Table gives our children a concrete tool to practice this essential capability. When we asked the children what peace means to them, their responses were thoughtful and wise.  

“It means being calm and taking deep breaths.”
“It means going to my room alone sometimes.”
“I do a reset when I need to.”
“It means not getting angry at my brother when he pranks me.” 

Our Geography study has captivated the children’s attention! We began by categorizing Earth into air, land, and water, then introduced the sandpaper globe to help distinguish between land and water through touch. The colored globe came next, where we learned the names of all seven continents. The children have been delighting in our new song, “Do You Know The Continents,” which we often hear them singing quietly as they work.

This week, we introduced Montessori landforms, starting with island and lake. These beautiful sensory materials allow children to see and feel the difference between a body of water surrounded by land (lake) and a body of land surrounded by water (island). Throughout the year, we’ll explore more landforms, including bay, cape, peninsula, gulf, isthmus, and strait.

One child told another this week: “When we are older, maybe we can be scientists who figure out things because we are really, really smart.” These moments remind us of the confidence and curiosity that bloom in a Montessori environment!

We’re also witnessing beautiful mixed-age dynamics as our kindergartners give lessons in Practical Life and Sensorial to our younger friends, demonstrating the leadership and compassion that grow naturally in our community.

Extending Geography Learning at Home

  • Sing along! Ask your child to teach you the “Do You Know The Continents” song
  • Point out geography: When reading books or watching shows together, ask, “What continent do you think this is?”
  • Nature observations: On walks, notice bodies of water and land. Is that a lake or a pond? An island in a stream?

 

UPCOMING EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Monday, October 13: No School – Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Tuesday, October 14: Zaki Koteiche’s Sharing Box & Flowers
October 14–17: Playground Volunteers – Maycie & Sam Ralbovsky
Friday, October 17: Kindergarten Field Trip to New Pond Farm
Friday, October 24: No School – Parent/Teacher Conferences
Friday, October 31: No School – Montessori Schools of CT Conference 

Sign-ups for Parent/Teacher Conferences on October 24 are now open! Please register as soon as possible through the Parent Sign Ups module at myfwm.org. Forms will close on Friday, October 17.

 

Mrs. Lopes: An Apple Adventure

Posted on by Amanda Lopes

Autumn’s Harvest: An Apple Adventure

This week, our classroom was filled with the delicious aroma of autumn as we explored apples through taste, touch, and preparation.

On Wednesday, the children participated in an apple tasting featuring five different varieties: Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Gala, and Honeycrisp. Before tasting, we observed each apple’s appearance, noting differences in color and shape. As the children sampled each variety, they discovered rich vocabulary to describe their sensory experiences: juicy, sweet, sour, crunchy, smooth, and tart. At the end, we took a vote to determine the class favorite. Honeycrisp was the clear winner!

After our tasting, the children rolled up their sleeves to make homemade applesauce. This practical life activity engaged multiple skills as children carefully peeled and cut the apples using real tools. Together, we added cinnamon, sugar, and water to the pot. The applesauce simmered in our crockpot all day Wednesday, and the children delighted in checking its progress throughout the work cycle, watching the apple pieces transform into smooth sauce.

Thursday brought the moment everyone had been waiting for – tasting our creation! The children were thrilled with the results, and many asked for second (and third!) helpings. The pride on their faces as they enjoyed something they had made themselves was truly beautiful to witness.

Extending Apple Learning at Home

  • Continue the Exploration: Visit a farmers’ market or orchard and let your child choose a new apple variety to try together
  • Practice Kitchen Skills: Let your child help prepare apples for snacks, practicing peeling, coring, or slicing (with appropriate supervision)
  • Describe and Compare: Use rich sensory language when eating together—what does it taste like? Feel like? Smell like?

 

UPCOMING EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Monday, October 13: No School – Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Thursday, October 16: Shiloh’s Birthday Walk
Friday, October 17: Kindergarten Field Trip to New Pond Farm
Saturday, October 18: Oktoberfest
Friday, October 24: No School – Parent/Teacher Conferences
Friday, October 31: No School – Montessori Schools of CT Conference
Weather Reminder: As the weather turns rainy, please be sure your child has an extra pair of shoes at school in case they get wet or muddy on the playground.

Ms. Rhodora: Growing Together

Posted on by Rhodora Santayana

Apples, Geography, and Growing Together

This week brought wonderful opportunities for the children to explore science, geography, and community care through hands-on learning.

Our apple study deepened as we explored the parts of an apple and the life cycle of an apple tree. The children followed an apple sequence story that showed the journey from seed to tree to fruit. During food preparation, they practiced slicing and serving apples, carefully using real tools to prepare snacks for their classmates. We also worked on manipulating scissors, an important fine motor skill that strengthens hand muscles and builds coordination.

We began exploring our home state of Connecticut, helping children understand their place in the world, starting with where they live. This connected beautifully to our geography work on landforms, where we introduced bay and cape. These sensorial materials allow children to see and feel the difference between these coastal formations, building a concrete understanding of abstract geographic concepts.

The grace and courtesy we’re witnessing in our classroom warms our hearts! The children are thoughtfully using phrases like “please,” “no, thank you,” and “you are welcome” throughout their day. These simple words create a culture of respect and kindness that ripples through our entire community.

We’re also seeing beautiful examples of mixed-age learning as older children help younger friends with their raincoats and rain boots. These moments of mentorship build confidence in our older students while giving younger children patient, caring role models. This is the Montessori classroom at its best—children naturally caring for one another.

Extending Learning at Home

  • Practice Independence: Give your child time to put on and zip their own jacket, even if it takes longer
  • Model Grace and Courtesy 
  • Explore Connecticut: Talk about your town, nearby cities, or places you’ve visited in our state

 

UPCOMING EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Monday, October 13: No School – Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Wednesday, October 15: Picture Day
Friday, October 17: Kindergarten Field Trip to New Pond Farm
Saturday, October 18: Oktoberfest
Friday, October 24: No School – Parent/Teacher Conferences
Friday, October 31: No School – Montessori Schools of CT Conference
Weather & Clothing Reminder: Please send extra clothes appropriate for the weather in your child’s backpack. Please label all clothing items! 

Ms. Sargeant: Cosmic Connections

Posted on by Christine Sargeant

Cosmic Connections

This week brought wonderful opportunities for hands-on learning and community building in our classroom.

The children have been captivated by our new solar system activities. They’re working together to complete the solar system floor puzzle, collaborating to place each planet in its proper orbit around the sun. These materials spark fascinating conversations about space, distance, and our place in the universe.

We’ve also welcomed a special addition to our classroom community! Middle School students have been joining us on Wednesdays as part of their community service. A group plays with our children at recess, and then one or two students join us during the afternoon work cycle. Our children eagerly anticipate their arrival and love showing off their work to their older friends. This week, Henry read a story to a captivated group of listeners in the afternoon. These cross-age interactions beautifully demonstrate how learning and mentorship happen naturally across our school community.

Our apple study was a delicious success! We conducted a taste test comparing red (Macintosh), yellow (Ginger Gold), and green (Granny Smith) apples. Macintosh won decisively with 10 votes, followed by Ginger Gold with six and Granny Smith with five. The children came up with wonderful adjectives to describe each variety: sweet, crunchy, juicy, tart, and sour.

Later in the week, we made applesauce from scratch. The children used a hand-crank apple peeler to remove the skin and were amazed to discover that the peel from just one apple was even longer (taller!) than most of the children in our class. They practiced their fine motor skills using peelers, corers, and knives to prepare the apples. We added cinnamon and water, and then enjoyed the delicious aroma that filled our classroom all day. When it was time to taste our creation, most children loved it!

Extending Apple Learning at Home

  • Compare Apples: Visit an orchard or grocery store and let your child choose different varieties to taste and compare
  • Practice Peeling: Let your child help peel apples or potatoes for family meals (with supervision)
  • Measure with Apple Peels: Peel an apple in one long strip and see how many objects at home it’s longer than

UPCOMING EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Monday, October 13: No School – Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Friday, October 17: Kindergarten Field Trip to New Pond Farm
Saturday, October 18: Oktoberfest
Friday, October 24: No School – Parent/Teacher Conferences
Friday, October 31: No School – Montessori Schools of CT Conference
Parent/Teacher Conference sign-ups are now posted! Times are available beginning October 20. Please arrange for childcare, as conferences are held without children present.
Important Reminder: Please send your child’s “Take Home” folder back to school every Monday. Without these folders, children are unsure where to place their completed work throughout the week.

Mrs. Wilson: Exploring Autumn Wonders

Posted on by Cynthia Wilson

This week, we introduced some exciting new work to the classroom! The children have been exploring a beautiful basket filled with all types of gourds, each one unique in shape, size, color, and texture. This activity expands their descriptive vocabulary as they observe and compare. It’s a wonderful way to encourage early science and language development, as they classify and describe what they see.

We also added a favorite seasonal activity—pumpkin hammering! Using a small mallet and golf tees, the children strengthen their fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and focus. Activities like this prepare the hand for future writing and build confidence through purposeful work.

Another highlight of our week was taking our first rainy day walk. We believe that outdoor time is valuable in all types of weather. As the saying goes, “There’s no bad weather, only unsuitable clothing.” Well, besides tornadoes and lightning. Of course, we stay indoors during storms or unsafe conditions, but whenever it’s safe, we go outside to breathe fresh air and connect with nature. The children absolutely loved splashing in puddles, feeling the raindrops, and giggling as they tried to catch the rain on their tongues.

Moments like these remind us of the joy and learning that come from simple experiences—observing nature, using our senses, and discovering the world firsthand.

Food Tasting:

This week’s food-tasting experience featured a carrot, complete with its stalks and leafy greens still attached. The children examined the carrot closely, noticing its bright color, crisp texture, and earthy scent. We discussed how the carrot is a root vegetable, with the orange part growing underground and the green leaves reaching up toward the sun. After exploring, the children tasted a slightly cooked baby carrot, discovering its natural sweetness. Food-tasting lessons like this foster curiosity, promote healthy eating habits, and instill early awareness of botany as children learn where their food comes from.

Love and light,

Cynthia and Sara